


Glittering Prizes & Endless Compromises

by Katsudamn



Series: Roses & Rosin [2]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Boys In Love, Love/Hate, M/M, Musicians, Violinist, look this is gay, musician au, pianist, pianist!kaneki, sighs, violinist!ayato
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-04 12:10:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14592750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsudamn/pseuds/Katsudamn
Summary: I've written this so many times at this point. I haven't liked it at all any time I've written it and I really hope this time it sticks. Sorry it's been so long between the first one and this one... Enjoy.disclaimer: I play violin and piano (as well as many other instruments). I do know what I'm talking about.





	Glittering Prizes & Endless Compromises

**Author's Note:**

> I've written this so many times at this point. I haven't liked it at all any time I've written it and I really hope this time it sticks. Sorry it's been so long between the first one and this one... Enjoy.  
> disclaimer: I play violin and piano (as well as many other instruments). I do know what I'm talking about.

"You don't have to come in today," the conductor's voice said through Kaneki's phone. "Ayato called in and said he's not been feeling very well, and that he can't make it today. Sorry for the late notice."

Kaneki thanked her and frowned, ending the call after a few more words. He knew Ayato wasn't sick. That's just not what happened. It probably had something to do with the text he'd received the night before from Ayato, saying he loved them. Even if that wasn't it, he knew for a fact that they weren't sick. He'd been with them yesterday, they'd both eaten the same things, and neither of them had felt sick. Something was wrong.

He sent a text to his manager as he rushed out the door, grabbing the key he'd somehow convinced Ayato to give him.

"I'm going to check on Ayato. I think something's wrong."

Almost immediately he got a response. "I told you not to get involved."

Kaneki rolled his eyes and hopped in his car, speeding down the road and towards the younger man's home. The whole way there he could only hope that he was wrong and that the other really was somehow sick, and not upset. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with an upset Ayato, but he knew he might not have a choice.

As soon as he pulled up to their house he got out and to the door in record time. He unlocked the door with slightly trembling hands and locked it behind him, calling out as he entered. "Ayato? Are you okay?" He was met with silence, and the sound of Ayato's dogs scrambling to greet him. As aggressive as their person was, their dogs were sweet. He sighed as he looked down at the dogs, frowning as he headed towards the bedroom they had come from. "Where is he?"

He stepped into their bedroom and froze at the site of a completely miserable looking Ayato. They were in the same clothes they'd been wearing yesterday and their eyeliner was a mess. Kaneki's frown deepened as he stepped closer to their restlessly sleeping form, placing a hand on their side as he sat on the bed next to them. "Hey," he whispered, willing them to wake up.

Ayato groaned and rolled over to face away from them. He knew it was obvious he'd woken up, but he didn't want to see them. Not now. He'd worried himself to the point of a slight fever from being bundled up so tight and cough throughout the night, stressing over the text he'd sent. "Go away," he mumbled, curling up a little bit tighter.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ayato," He said, frustration welling up inside of him. He just wanted them to look at him so he could better assess the situation. Kaneki began undoing their shirt and tugged it off before working on their pants. Still, they didn't look at him. He sighed as he continued his chore of undressing them, trying to make them more comfortable. He pulled a jacket out of his bag and pulled it on them, wrapping a blanket around him tight as he felt their temperature. "You really have made yourself sick... try to calm down."

He rolled his eyes, but melted into their touches, burying his face in their jacket. "I can't. I won't. I don't know how." He coughed a little bit, frowning when they moved his face to look at them. "I don't know what you want. I've already embarrassed myself in front of you multiple times, that should be enough for you. It's selfish of me to expect you'd want me too." Ayato closed his eyes in an effort to avoid eye contact, curling back up.

Kaneki groaned, shaking his head as he leaned down to steal a gentle kiss. "I don't care how many times you embarrass yourself... I care about you. I love you too. I'm sorry I didn't say anything... this is my fault." He frowned, lying on the bed next to them after he removed his own shoes.

"You're damn right it's your fault. I worried myself sick over you," he grumbled, unconsciously snuggling into the other. The younger man melted when they wrapped their arms around him, already beginning to feel better. The night before he'd been so anxious not even a Xanax helped soothe his nerves the way the psychiatrist said it would. Ayato kept his eyes closed, resting his head on their chest and settling in.

"I know," the white haired man whispered, pressing a kiss on the other's forehead. He hummed quietly and relaxed with them, smiling at their affectionate actions. Even if they were upset and mad at him they still snuggled up with him. "Rest, now. I'll take care of you."

Ayato nodded a little bit and smiled when he peeked an eye open to see that Kaneki had stripped down to their boxers and was beginning to slip under the sheets and blankets with him. "You think you're just always welcome in my bed now, huh?" He teased, curling against them as he yawned. The idea of sleep was amazing to him and he was ready to pass out, but he'd wait for the other's response to him.

He shrugged, but stayed settled in, running his fingers through long blue hair. "I should be, if we're gonna do this right... I'm not proposing to you yet... But I wanna marry you." Kaneki smiled at the idea and closed his eyes as he imagined it, holding the other close.

"Mnn," was all he managed to get out before he fell asleep, a long exhale passing his lips as he rested.

Kaneki watched the other fondly and closed his own eyes, more tired than he thought he had been. He'd spent most of the night trying to figure out the right thing to do after the text, and this is what it brought him to. He fell asleep slowly to the sound of their steady breathing and the sensation of their warm body snug against his own.

* * *

Kaneki woke first, smiling at the sight of the blunet sleeping peacefully. Some time during their early morning nap the other's fever had broken, and he looked much healthier. "I love you," he whispered, grinning at the soft noises they made as they shifted. His heart felt like it could burst when he saw their eyes flutter open with what he thought was the sweetest expression they'd ever shown him. "How did you sleep?"

"Much better, now that you're here." Ayato stretched a little bit and smiled at nothing in particular, closing his eyes for a moment as he snuggled in. "I don't wanna move ever again," he mumbled, settling in happily, "You're so warm."

"I know... It's cold," he purred, pulling them closer. "You need some more rest. You look exhausted. Look, even your little dogs are still rired."

The young man yawned and settled in once more, shaking his head a little bit. "But I want to be awake with you."

Kaneki rolled his eyes and kissed the top of their head, humming in thought. "Alright, but we're not leaving bed and you're allowed to fall asleep. Got it? If you're tired, say the words and I'll lie here with you, nice and quiet and warm."

Ayato purred quietly at the thought and relaxed, smiling when Kaneki pulled the blankets over them once more.

"Marry me," the older man said without thinking, a loving smile on his face at their affectionate actions. When Kaneki realized what he said he turned a dark shade of red and covered his mouth with one hand, shaking his head a little bit. "I mean only if you want to- not that I mean right now- I just- you're perfect, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you... So please... Marry me..."

Ayato simply nodded and closed his eyes, already drifting back to sleep by the time the other had slipped a platinum and black tungsten ring on to their finger. "Of course... Where'd the ring come from?"

"I uh... I got it the first day we practiced together... I kissed you, and I knew I had to have you in my life," he admitted, watching as they settled in. Kaneki smiled while the other inspected the ring on their finger with a fond expression, leaning down to give the other a soft kiss. "I know it hasn't been long, but I care about you a lot. I promised you I'd be here forever and always if you wanted me, and I meant it."

"Thank you," the young man muttered, looking at the small box the ring had come out of. "Was it part of a set? I want you to have one too. We should get you one." He looked up at them, his eyes lighting up when the other pressed another ring into his hand.

Kaneki laughed at their overjoyed expression, fondness welling up in his heart. "I thought you'd say that. I want everyone to know that we belong to each other, so even if you didn't ask for it I would have done it anyway. Will you put it on me?"

Ayato grinned and slipped it on their finger, his heart fluttering. He rested his head on their chest after stealing a small kiss, placing his hand over the other's heart to feel its steady rhythm. "I'm glad you came. I love you. This isn't what I expected in a proposal... but I like that it wasn't planned, and that you just went with what you felt. It was cute."

"Hey, I'm not the cute one here... You are." The white haired man ran his fingers through their hair, undoing their messy ponytail and admiring the way the rings shined on their fingers. "Are you feeling any better now?"

The young man nodded and felt himself growing drowsy once more, a content smile on his face. "Yeah, but I'm still tired. We only napped for a little bit and I didn't sleep well last night."

Kaneki nodded and let them settle in, closing his eyes as he relaxed. "Alright, we can rest a little bit more. I was up for most of the night trying to figure out what to do. Later tonight we'll go out and celebrate, okay?" He waited for their response, but smiled when he found they were already asleep. He would have been annoyed that the other hadn't bothered to truly listen, but they looked too peaceful to disturb. Instead, he went to sleep as well.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Ayato looked out the window of Kaneki's car, trying to figure out what Kaneki had meant by the word "celebrate".  They'd already stopped at Kaneki's house to check on his dog, and now they were back in the car.

Kaneki looked over with a knowing smile for just a moment before turning his attention back to the road. "Well... would you like to go somewhere everyone can see us, or do you want it to be just the two of us?"

The younger man thought for a moment, humming softly. "Is it okay if it's just the two of us? I want something small and intimate. I don't need the fuss that comes with fancy places."

"I thought you'd say that," he commented, laughing a little bit. Kaneki pulled off to the side of the road at a public park and stopped the car. He opened the door for the other and smiled, motioning outwards with a dramatic gesture. "After you, my love."

"Shut up," the young man said through a laugh, getting out and playfully pushing at their shoulder. "A park at night time? Are you sure this is a very good idea?"

Kaneki nodded, locking the car after he grabbed a picnic basket from the back. It was mostly snack foods, but there were a few ice packs in it to keep more perishable items cold. He led the other into a clearing filled with white lights hanging from the trees, turning on a small generator to power them along with a few heaters. The look of awe on the other's face had made it worth calling in favors from his friends to get this set up.

Ayato grinned and quickly sat down in front of one of the heaters on a blanket, grateful for the heat and extra blankets around the clearing. He pulled Kaneki to sit with him, snuggling under a blanket as he got comfortable with them. As soon as they had recovered from the surprise of being pulled down he gave them a passionate kiss, smiling against his lips. "Thank you," he mumbled, resting his head on their shoulder when the kiss broke.

"I'm glad you like it, but we really should eat. You're far too skinny as it is, I'm not letting you skip any meals when you're with me." He gently ran his fingers through the long blue hair he adored so much, pulling out some snacks from the basket. "I'm afraid I didn't pack anything very healthy, it's mostly just snacks, but I want you to have something. There's plenty of everything, so take your pick." Kaneki smiled and watched as the younger man grabbed a pack of fruit snacks and got comfortable, curled loosely under a blanket. "You look beautiful like this, Ayato."

He hummed and closed his eyes, barely able to stay awake with the level of comfort and happiness he felt. This whole situation seemed to be a dream, and he never wanted to wake up. Ayato looked up at them with a happy sigh, popping a fruit snack into his mouth before closing his eyes and relaxing further. The warmth from the heaters and blankets was more than enough to keep him happy being outside on a cold night. 

Kaneki laid down next to him and laughed, resting a hand on their cheek. "I guess it is late, and we were awake talking for quite a while... I know you didn't sleep much last night, so go ahead and rest some more. We only napped for a little bit today."

Ayato nodded gratefully and let them slide under the blanket with him, thankful for the extra body heat. There was nothing he didn't like about this moment. And besides... of course he'd be spending it with Kaneki. They'd communicated through texts and emails before, mostly angry and upset emotions being part of them, but the two had known each other for quite some time. It hardly made any sense why they wouldn't be together. There was nobody Ayato would want more.

As he watched his fiance fall asleep, Kaneki smiled and let himself drift into thought. He didn't quite know what was going to happen next, but whatever it was, he'd face it with the young man at his side. While they fell deeper and deeper into sleep, their features looked more and more relaxed. He made it a goal to memorize every single one of those features. Those gorgeous, perfect features that could be oh so infuriatingly beautiful.

Eventually he too fell into a light sleep, cradling them close against his body.

He dreamed that they moved in together and had a small family, that they taught their young children everything they knew about music and watched them learn and grow into fine young adults. By the time he woke up, happy tears had begun to fall down his face. If he wasn't certain before, this glimpse of what they could possibly have together made him absolutely sure that he'd made no mistake in the man he'd chosen to spend the rest of his life with. Sure, they fought some times, but who didn't? They never meant their insults anyway, and they definitely wouldn't be able to read anybody else the way they could read each other. Already Kaneki was able to read everything Ayato thought just by looking at him, and he was proud of the fact that he could identify those little micro expressions the other would send him.

Ayato woke up after a few hours, looking confused until a happy, groggy smile formed on his features when he saw Kaneki next to him. Early morning light was beginning to filter through the trees and gave everything a nice, soft look. Looking at the clock on his phone he saw it was barely two in the morning. It wasn't quite dawn yet, so it was still fairly dark and difficult to see, but he felt rested and ready to take on anything that came at them. 

In the early morning light, it was plain for them to see that they were ready to take on the world together.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, sorry this feels so short and there are really only a couple scenes in it... I just feel that I need to post this before the draft deletes and I lose motivation entirely.  
> Again, I apologize for such a disappointing sequel. Here's hoping the third one in the series won't be as bad.


End file.
